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Nathan Carman testifies in court over boat modifications

PROVIDENCE, R.I. —  A Middletown man who was rescued off the coast of Rhode Island three years ago took the stand in a Rhode Island courtroom  Thursday. S...
*DISCONTINUE AFTER 8 27 2019Nathan Carman, Chris Sale

PROVIDENCE, R.I.A Middletown man who was rescued off the coast of Rhode Island three years ago took the stand in a Rhode Island courtroom  Thursday.

Silent while walking into court Thursday morning, Nathan Carman took the stand in the civil trial over an insurance claim surrounding his sunken boat “The Chicken Pox".

The trial is to determine if Carman is entitled to an $85,000 insurance payout for that sunken boat. The insurance company is arguing that he made modifications to the boat that caused it to sink.

Throughout the trial, experts have testified that Carman's modifications to his boat were faulty. But Carman’s attorney has been arguing that the boat was old and there’s no way to prove why it actually sank.

Under oath, Carman detailed the moments the boat was sinking, saying it filled with water but he had a “strong aversion” to calling the Coast Guard unless he knew the boat would sink.

He also said had he known the boat was going to sink, he would have called for help.

Carman said he watched the pilothouse start to slip away and he said he told his mother to reel in the fishing lines but never said anything else to her.

This trial is about more than just insurance money.

Investigators have named Carman as a person of interest in the deaths of his mother and grandfather. His mother is said to be on board when the boat sank. His millionaire grandfather was found shot to death three years prior in his Windsor home.

Carman's Attorney David Anderson said outside the courthouse that they do not plan on speaking to the media as long as Carman is on the stand.

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